Mosa

Chapter 42

  The Raid

  Alvin opened his eyes as he felt a little ticklish on his body. He saw the Diana’s nose slightly touching his shoulder. The sunlight shone on the blanket, he felt the warmth of her breath, sleeping peacefully. He felt her soft skin, he could hear her heartbeat. Alvin looked at her, felt like he was still dreaming. He leaned forward and kissed her. She smiled, rubbing her head on the pillow. He stood up and covered her with the blanket, and left the room.

  Tasha woke up and was brushing the teeth. Jake was knocking on the door, fidgeting and jiggling his body in the hallway.

  “Tasha… Tasha…” said Jake, desperately. But Tasha ignored him. “I… I need to pee....”

  Alvin went to the kitchen; he put out the batter on the bowl and melted the butter on the pan, humming. It butter sizzled and filled the room with a pleasant smell. When he put the good portion of batter on the pan, he heard Jake bellowing from the upstairs.

  Tasha went out from the bathroom, smiling at Jake. He gushed into the bathroom and released his bladder without closing the bathroom door. Tasha shrugged and went to her room, drying her hair. Later they both went down the stair, quarrelling on the way, and arrived at the dining room.

  Tasha and Jake shook their heads when Alvin, who looked extremely cheerful today, jumped around on the kitchen floor, singing out of tune. Tasha suggested that the fever finally got him, and Jake agreed.

  Jake kept reminding Alvin that he should teach him and Tasha how to shoot. Alvin said that he will take them in the late afternoon. Diana didn’t object nor mentioned anything about it. Diana was blushing whenever she saw Alvin, smiling sheepishly, and said she had to visit her mother and left the house.

  “Ok, let’s do some shooting!” said Alvin, cheerfully. He took out two guns from the closet; one was the revolver which he gave it to Jake and the Desert Eagle for Tasha. Alvin took few coke bottles to use it as a target and put it in his bag. He didn’t want any attention from the officers so he headed toward the forest across the town. It wasn’t too far away, so they walked.

  They arrived at the field, among the woods where the bird glided through them. Tasha startled as one of the birds flew right above her head. They stepped on the moist fluffy ground, snapping branches and went deep inside the forest. Alvin stopped at the plain and took out three coke bottles from the bag and set it up on the rock. And they’ve gone far back and positioned themselves. Alvin gripped Tasha’s gun and stared at the target.

  “Ok Tasha, the basic thing you should do is to wait, hold your breath, and,” said Alvin and pulled the trigger, one of the coke bottles exploded.

  Tasha nodded. Alvin was adjusting her stature saying she spread her legs too much.

  “Try it,” said Alvin, his hands on his chin, looking at Tasha.

  “One, two, three,” she held her breath, her arm little trembling due to the weight of the pistol. Her eyes narrowed and she pulled the trigger.

  “Aww…” groaned Tasha, seeing that it missed. The crows on the trees were making a mocking sound.

  “Observe, try it again,” said Alvin, adjusting her arm again.

  Tasha shot again, but again missed, few crows cried out.

  “It’s too far, Alvin,” complained Tasha, pulling the trigger randomly, missing it again. The birds flew around. Tasha grunted, and leered at the coke bottle on the rock. It was not that far away, but she couldn’t break it. She got frustrated, stomping on the ground.

  She tried again, breathing in deeply and held it, and pulled the trigger, but again it missed.

  “You have to be in peace,” said Alvin.

  “… I don’t understand,” said Tasha, frowning at the crows screaming.

  “I’m saying that, imagine I’m not here,” said Alvin.

  “…” Tasha silenced, looking at Alvin.

  “If you want to be a gunslinger, the most important thing is not to be distracted. In the warzone, what others say does not matter. Concentrate,” said Alvin.

  Tasha breathed in and slowly out, looking at the target, and tried to concentrate. The sweat came down from her forehead. The breathing became slower. She felt as if she is being sucked into the deepest part of her heart, grasping every part of her body. Everything around her slowly blacked out.

  She pulled the trigger and the coke bottle fumed white bubbles and shredded into pieces. Tasha suddenly gasped out.

  Alvin seemed impressed. “That was gorgeous,” said Alvin, smiling. Tasha made a funny face, as if she’s trying not to like it too much. She blush a little.

  “Now, Jake? It is your turn, step up,” said Alvin.

  Jake, however, did not seem to do this very well; he was shaking his gun as if he is going panic attack and pulled a trigger several times but failed to hit the bottle. Few minutes later, Jake reloaded two times and got filled with rage. Yelling, he pulled triggers randomly.

  “This is a revolver Jake, not a machine gun,” said Alvin, putting his hand on his forehead. Tasha giggled when Alvin was loading the revolver with new rounds.

  “Shut up, Tasha,” said Jake, shaking his head, but she giggled anyway.

  “Ok… one, two, three…” murmured Jake; he froze on the spot.

  “Good, take your time Jake, take your time,” said Alvin.

  Jake was sweating. His face slowly turned into a blue and purplish after a while, his vein was sticking out.

  “Ok James, wait, did I call you James? Jake, you got to breathe,” said Alvin. Jake however, seemed like he is not listening; his eye brows fluttered rapidly. “Tasha, slap his back for me please?” Tasha slapped his back. Jake gasped and the bullet came out from the gun. It went through the tree and the birds scattered to the sky.

  “You’ll get it Jake,” Alvin chuckled, tapping his back.

  And there was a sound, calling his name, he looked back and saw Diana running across the field with another person.

  “Alvin! Alvin!” shouted Diana.

  “Oh, honey, you missed me that much?”Alvin said.

  “The village! The village is under attack!” said Diana, panicking, catching her breath.

  “What was that?” frowned Alvin, seeing Diana’s mother, Nancy Cline, running along with her. Diana took a deep breath, her voice shaking.

  “Veron is checking every village, trying to find people involved with Nina Polchinski in the village! Oh Alvin, they are killing the villagers,” Diana said, breaking her voice.

  Alvin listened, and looked at the village. There were distant gunshots and smoke coming up from the village. The Nancy came toward them, afraid, also shaking.

  “Alvin!” said Nancy, with her fragile little ghastly hands waving in the air.

  “Mrs. Diana,” said Alvin.

  “This… this is horrible, dear, oh dear,” said Nancy, with a shock and grievance.

  “It’s alright, Mrs. Diana. You are safe here.” said Alvin, looking at the smoke in the sky. Alvin turned to Diana, who was hugging the children.

  “Diana, stay with them,” said Alvin.

  “Ok… Ok…. Come children, let’s hide in the woods.” Diana hugged the children tight.

  “I’ll be back soon,” said Alvin.

  “Wait, where are you going?” said Diana, concerned.

  “I have to get the food, medical supply and guns,” Alvin started running toward the town.

  “Be careful!” Diana cried out.

  “What? I’m not going to die. Who am I, a farmer?” shouted Alvin. The rest watched him running across the field. A moment later, Tasha slowly looked at her gun dumbly and then at the woods where Alvin disappeared.

  “And he didn’t even take his gun,” said Tasha.

  “Yeah, I think we only brought two pistols,” said Jake, quietly.

  Diana was shocked, her leg lost the strength, but children prevented her from falling down.

  “What? Alvin, you bastard! Stop making me worried!” Diana shouted, crying again.

  “Don’t worry Diana, we’ll protect you. Right Jake?” said Tasha,
encouragingly. She glimpsed at Jake, raising her eyebrows.

  “Yeah… yeah! Of course, don’t worry Diana,” said Jake.

  Diana hugged both children, sniffing.

  “Oh my little angels! Yes, I should be strong now, I should be strong,” Diana grabbed them and sobbed.